Brassiere



C. FREEMAN May 11 192,6.

BRASSIERE Filed April 14 i May STATES PATENT oF lcE;

.GLABA FREEMAN, orrHILAnnLrHm, PENNSYLVANIA.

n v BnAssInnE. Application flled'April 14, 1925 Serial No, 23,039.

. This invention relates to-certain' improve separating band so designed and arranged ments in brassieres; and the nature and obas to prevent unnatural bulging of the bust jects ofthein'vention-will be readily recogand to secure a natural appearance for the nizedand understood by those skilled in the figure. v p arts involved-in the light of the following Another object of the invention is to proexplanation and detailed description of the vide a bust supporting and separating band accompanying drawings illustrating what I for brassieres which is adapted for and capa I at present considerto be the preferred em-" ble'of attachment to'and mounting on vari I bodiments'jon mechanical expressions ofthe ous types of brassieres, either as-an element 10 a invention from amongvarious-other forms, 1 of a brassiere when manufactured, or added ,"arrangements, combinations and constructo a complete brassiere. V

--.tionsof whichthei invention is capable with- A; further object of the invention is to in the spirit an'd'scope thereof. I provide a brassiere having a bust separating With the types of brassiere's in genand supporting band, with an arrangement 7 l5 eral use for confiningand securing the bust, for adjusting the brassiere to vary the presl the figure is J'objectionably thickened and sure exerted thereby, so as to permit of almade to appear stouter because'the bust is tering the style or type 'of figure effect pro forced together-in front and fesults inan ducedl by the brassiere,

elevation orbulge' at thefront center po-r- With the foregoing general objects, and

20 tion of the'figure. Such"brassieres by, fotrccertain other ob ects and results inview,

ing the bust together at the front center, of whichother objects and results will be read the body further tend-toPth'rowvand redisily understood by those skilled in the art tribute the weight'of the bust to unnatural fro-m'the following explanation, the inve'npoints of the body, .so that the natural free- "tion .co'nsists in certain novel features in '25 dom of movement and grace of carriage are construction and in combination and arinterfered with. Forcing and binding the rangemerit of parts, as will be more fully 1 bust together frequently causes chafing and and particularly referred to and specified .-irritation of the skin, particularly in warm hereinafter. 1 I

weather, and instead of adding to the'com- -.Beferring to the accompanying drawings,

fort and health of the ,wearer, tends to dein which similar referencecharacters desigtract therefrom by unduly bindingand apnate corresponding parts throughout: I plying pressures to the bust and preventing Fig. 1, 1s a View, more or less diagramease and freedom of-movement and natural; matical, of a portion of the body and bust,

, respiration. showing a brassiere embodying the inven- 36' Onevof the main objects of the present intion in position for attachment on and;

' ven tion is to provide forthe practical-elimiaround the body and bust, with an arrange nation ofthe tendency of brassieres' to draw ment' f p fas e er foradjustably Sothe bust together and centrallyelevate or curing thebrasslre inposltlonaro nd h bulge the bust with the resulting unnatural b dy:

'40 thickening and deformation of the. figure, Fig. 2, is a front view of abrassiere ofthe b so n ing nd o t u tin a, blas invention in applied, attached position on}:

siere that the bust is separated and supported, the body and howmg the bust supporting thereby in such a manner as to tend toflatand separating band indotted lines in oper- 1 ten the figure and give the same theappear ative relation with-respect to the bust. ance of having natural well formed lines. Fig. 3, i :a, r ar i f th b a gi' A further object ofthe invention resides in plied in mounted position on the body, with arranging a brassiere so as to prevent chafing the brassiere 'unfastened to show the bust of the bust-and to so support the bust that supporting and separating band vin attached theweightisdistributed tonatural points-of position! 50' the" body and the ease of movement and Fig. 4, is a view the inner side of the natural grace 'of carriagepreserved, while brassiere .in open, unapplied' position, with eliminating undue pressure on the bust and thelbust supporting andseparating band at avoiding injury tothe health of a wearer taohedto the upper centralportion of the in-.

Another objectof' the invention is to 'pro-'; ner side thereof.- vide a brassiere having abust supporting and Fig. 5, is a detailed view of the rear, free ends of the brassiere and bust supporting and separating band, showing an arrangement of fasteners of the hook and eye type for adjust-ably attaching the brassiere around the body.

One possible embodiment and adaptation of the features of the invention, is illustrated in the accompanying drawings as applied to a brassiere of the conventional type, ut it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the type of brassiere disclosed, as it is capable of application to and use with brassieres of various other types, as well as similar garments for encicling and securing the bust. The illustrated embodiment and application thereof, are presented purely by way of example and not of limitation, for purposes of explanation to bring out the principles and features of the invention so that those skilled in the art can readily understand the same.

In the accompanying drawings a brassiere 10 is disclosed as indicative of such types of garments generally, and in the present instance embodies a relatively wide band-like length of material for encircling the body and bust of a wearer, in the usual manner familiar in this art. The brassiere 10 is provided with the usual shoulder straps 11, and is open at the back or rear side thereof, the free end edge portions 12 and 14 being provided with suitable securing or fastening elements 15 arranged in vertically alined rows therealong, as will be readily understood. In use, the brassiere 10 is placed in position around and encircling the body and bust, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, and is fastened in position at the back by the hereinbefore securing elements 15, in the usual manner, so that the brassiere coversand confines the bust under pressure. However, in position applied to the body, the bust is forced inwardlytoward the central portion of the body over the diaphragm which causes the objectionable bulge or elevation of the bust and unnatural thickening of the body, as hereinbefore referred to.

According to the invention and in the mechanical expression thereof presented herewith, referring now particularly to Fig. 4 of the drawings, a band, or strip of material 20, preferably of fabric and if desired formed with the usual elastic inserts (not shown),-although not so limited, is attached at its central portion to the upper central portion of the inner side of the brassiere 10, and disposed in position-longitudinally of the brassiere. In this instance the band 20 is attached to brassiere 10 by the stitching 22 although if' desired the attachment of band 20 may be by separable fasteners or the like of the usual or any other desired types well known in the art.

The ma or portions or lengths of the band 20 are unattached to the brassiere 10, .as will be clear by reference to the accompanying drawings, and the opposite free ends 21 of the band 20 are formed with suitable attaching and fastening means 23, in the present instance embodying suitable buttons on one of the ends 21 and button holes on the other end 21 for receiving the same.

By another feature of the invention the brassiere 10 is formed for adjustable fastening around the body so that the degree of pressure exerted on the body and bust by the brassiere can be varied. to meet the needs or desires of the wearer. This feature of the invention is illustrated in detail by Fig. 5 of the drawings, and embodies the provision of parallel, spaced rows of vertically alined eyes 16 on one end 12 of the brassiere, and a single row of vertically alined hooks 17 on the opposite end 14 of the brassiere for selective engagement with either of the rows of eyes 16. As the rows of eyes 16 are spaced inwardly from each other, it will be readily apparent that by securing books 17 to the inner row of eyes 16, a tighter fit around the body with greater pressure is secured, while fastening hooks 17 in the outer row a looser fit and less pressure is obtained, which will be more fully explained hereinafter. In the example illustrated by Fig. 5, fasteners of the hook and eye type are disclosed but it is not intended to limit this feature of the invention thereby, as any other desired or suitable type of separable fastening means can be employed, such for example as the snap type diagrammatically indicated by the fasteners 15 of Figs. 1 and 3, and the button type 15 of Fig. 4.

A brassiere 10 having the band 20 of the invention attached thereon, is applied to the body as indicated in Fig. 1 of the drawings, with the straps 11 over and supporting the brassiere. from the shoulders and the front of the brassiere over the bust, with the at tached portion of band 20 located and disposed between the upper, portions of the breasts. The free unattached lengths of the band 20 are passed under the breasts and rearwardly around the body, where they are fastened together by the fastening means 23, as clearly shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings in particular. After the bust supporting and separating band is attached the brassiere 10 is then passed around the body over band 20 and fastened together at the rear by the fastening means 15. The band 20 in attached position draws the front central portion of the brassizere inwardly against the body, between"*andaseparating the breasts, as will be clear byreference to Fig. 2 of the drawings, and this tends to move the breasts outwardly toward the shoulders, with the resulting flattening of the bust, while at the same time depressing the central portion of the brassiere and giving the bust a natural, well formed appearance.

The position of band 20 under the bust supports the same and by separating and movi'n the breasts slightly outwardly the natura tendency of the wearer is to straighten the shoulders and hold a more correct carnage.

- By the foregoing positioning of the bust the weight thereofis more naturally distributed and the ease and comfort of the wearer increased, while the separation of the breasts eliminates objectional chafing and irritation with resulting benefit to the health. The bust supporting and separating band 20 also does away with undue and injurious pressures on the bust by supporting the same in a more natural position. v

With the brassiere 10 provided with the fastening means arranged as shown in Fig. 5, the figure effect can be varied in cooperation with the band 20, as by raising the bust slightly'and attaching the brassire ends together in the tightened position, the bust can be maintained through the aid of band 20, in such position, while by using the outer rows of fastening means the bust can be lowered to give a flat figure effect. Due to the position of the band 20 in attached position, with the brassiereextending thereover,

the bust is maintained against displacement at all times and under all conditions. It will here be noted that the ends of the brassiere .with the attaching or fastening means thereon can be formed and arranged to lie at the sideof the body instead of the back if found desirable or expedient.

The bust supporting and separating band can be attached to and supplied with and as an element of a brassiere when manu factured, or can be manufactured and furnishedseparately for attachment to brassieres by the users, and the invention contemplates and'includes the band in either attached position or as a separate article for attachment to a brassiere or the like.

While in the example of the invention presented herewith, the band 20 is shown as at tached to the brassiere by stitching or the like, it is not intended to so limit the invention, as the band 20 can be attached in operative position on and relation with respect to a brassiere by loosely attaching the same thereto; for example, by passing the band through slits or openings in or formed on the brassiere. Further, in the embodiment hereof a single band is employed, but

the invention contemplates and includes the use of a. plurality of bands where desired or found expedient.

It-is also evident that various changes, modifications, variations and substitutions might be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention, and hence I do not wish to limit myself to the exact disclosures hereof.

Desiring to protect my invention in the broadest manner legally possible, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patlatter and free from said brassiere at the sides of the bust portions, the attached por-' tion of the band and brassiere when in worn position disposed between and separating the bust withthe band in position around the body and between the body and bust, and the brassiere in position around the body and over the bust.

2. In combination, a brassiere having a closed front, and a bust supporting and separating band attached intermediate its ends to the central portion of the closed front of the brassiere, the opposite lengths of the band free from the brassiere throughout the major portion of their lengths for extendim 1aground the body and between the body and ust.

3. In combination, av brassiere having a closed front, and a bust supporting and separating body encircling band attached to the closed front of the brassiere between the bust portions of the latter and free from the brassicre at the sides of the bust portions, and means for securing the band in position around the body and between the body and the bust with the attached portion between the busts to draw the front portion of the brassiere against the body between and separating the busts.

'41 In combination, a brassiere, and a bust supporting and separating body encircling band attached to the front of the brassiere between the bust portion of the latter, the

band providing opposite lengths for extending'around the body and between the body and the bust for supporting the latter, and means for securing the opposite lengths of the band around the body with the portion of the brassiere attached to the band drawn between and separating the busts.

5. In combination, a brassiere, and a bust supporting and separating body encircling band providing straps attached at their inner ends to the front central portion of the brassiere between the bust portions thereof, said straps free from the brassiere throughout their lengths, and means for securing the free ends of the straps together with the band formed thereby extending around the body and between the body and the bust and the front central portion of the brassire attached thereto drawn thereby between and separating the busts.

6. In combination, a brassiere, means for adjustably fastening the brassiere around the body and over and across the bust to permit of varying the pressure exerted by the brassiere on the bust, and a bust supporting and separating body encircling tween the body and busts, and means for band attached to the front of the brassire securing the opposite lengths of the band 10 between the bust portions of the latter and together with the band around and encirfree from said brassiere at the sides of the cling the body.

' bust portions, the attached portion of the Signed at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,

band and brassiere in worn position disposed this 11th day of April 1925. between and separating the busts with the band in position around the body and be- CLARA FREEMAN. 

